Monday was tremendous for strikeout props across the league, with Blake Snell, Chris Sale, and Brandon Pfaadt — among others — piling up the strikeouts.
For Tuesday: AL Cy Young favorite, Tarik Skubal, gets a great matchup against the Seattle Mariners. Two hitters I’ll be backing tonight are Alex Call and Yordan Alvarez.
Let’s dive into my three favorite MLB player props.
MLB Player Props for Tuesday, August 13
- Alex Call Over 1.5 Total Bases (+120, DraftKings)
- Tarik Skubal Over 7.5 Strikeouts (+105, DraftKings)
- Yordan Alvarez Over 0.5 Walks (+110, BetMGM)
MLB player prop bets and MLB prop bets are becoming increasingly popular among bettors. These wagers focus on individual player performances, such as runs, home runs, and strikeouts, adding excitement by allowing bettors to target specific player statistics rather than just game outcomes.
Nationals vs Orioles Player Props: Bet Alex Call's MLB Prop Bets
The Nationals recalled Alex Call from Triple-A on July 28 after trading Jesse Winker to the minors. In 20 MLB games since, Call is hitting .419 with six doubles, a home run, 11 RBIs, a 1.071 OPS, and 1.4 WAR.
It's quite a flip from last season when he hit just .200 in 128 games. Several multi-hit games have fueled call's turnaround, as he's recorded two or more hits in seven of his past nine games.
Call is +210 for two hits in this matchup, and he may get at least one off Trevor Rogers. Call is 1-for-3 lifetime with a double off Rogers, who the Orioles acquired from a Nationals' NL East foe in the Marlins. Rogers struggled with a 4.53 ERA in Miami and has a 6.75 ERA through two starts with the Orioles. Right-handed hitters are hitting .282 with 25 doubles, 11 home runs, and a .813 OPS against him.
Conversely, Call's gaudy average bumps to .444 against left-handed pitchers. That makes him a great candidate for another two-hit game. Call has recorded two total bases in six straight games and eight of his past nine games.
His recent performance in MLB games makes him a strong candidate for player prop bets, especially considering his success against left-handed pitchers. I expect that trend to continue tonight.
- Get up-to-the-minute MLB odds here.
Mariners vs Tigers Player Props: Cy Young Favorite in Good Spot
Tarik Skubal is a California native but played his college ball at Seattle University. He returned to Seattle last week but was not very friendly. He allowed two earned runs on three hits while striking out nine in seven innings in a 6-2 Tigers victory.
I try to avoid pitchers facing the same opponent consecutively, but I'm making an exception for several reasons.
The first is Skubal's dominance at Comerica Park. In 11 home starts, Skubal is 7-1 with a 2.41 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 71 innings. He has struck out at least seven in seven consecutive home starts while clearing this player prop line in five of six home starts. He has also pitched six innings or more in nine consecutive home starts.
The second reason is the matchup against the Mariners, who are third in strikeout rate against left-handed pitchers. Eight of their nine projected starters tonight have a strikeout rate of 24.4% or higher. The lone exception is Justin Turner, who Skubal punched out last week.
Even in an MLB game in which Seattle scored 12 runs on Sunday, Mets starter Luis Severino had eight strikeouts in five innings. This makes Skubal a strong candidate for a prop bet on his strikeout performance. Skubal will clear this line with eight strikeouts tonight. You can back him for nine at +200 and 10 at +390 on DraftKings tonight.
- Check out our MLB Betting Hub for more previews from today's slate.
Astros vs Rays Player Props: Yordan Alvarez Should Walk Again
Yordan Alvarez has drawn a walk in six of his past eight games. With eight in that span, he is up to 54 on the year and is 18th in the MLB.
Digging deeper, 42 of those 54 have been issued by right-handed pitchers. Alvarez has a 13% walk rate against right-handers compared to a 9.8% walk rate against left-handers.
Shane Baz is the right-hander that Alvarez will face on Tuesday, and he has won the matchup thus far, as Alvarez is 0-for-3 lifetime against him. However, Baz has walked at least two batters in three of his six starts this season, issuing 12 in 29 1/3 innings. We cashed on an Aaron Judge walk during a Baz start a few weeks back.
In early August, Baz walked just one batter in 5 1/3 against the Astros. However, Alvarez is coming into this game with two hits in five of his last six games. In that span, he also has five home runs. If the Rays opt to pitch Alvarez more carefully tonight, I like his chances of drawing a walk tonight, whether Baz or a reliever issues it.
